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Alpha Readers and Beta Readers
NOTE: THIS IS HALF-BAKED. If this doesn't save as a draft and is visible, please ignore it or make suggestions. This is intended to spawn a few other related pages to the life cycle of writing and producing books. --- Once you have written a first draft of a short story, a chapter of a novella or novel, or a whole novel, you may be either eager or terrified to share your unpolished work with others. Self-editing your own work is a recommended skill, however obtaining input from others can often prove invaluable. Yet for some writers, asking for help is uncomfortable. There is the possibility or glowing reviews and scathing criticism. This page focuses on the role of alpha readers and beta readers. The following questions are commonly asked. * Will you read my 250,000 word first draft? * Will you read this 50,001 word draft I just wrote last month? * What is an alpha reader? * What is a beta reader? Pre-Release Reader Alpha readers and beta reads can be generally categorized as pre-release readers. During the development of a nonfiction document or fictional story, the author(s) may choose to allow other people to read their work prior to formal release and distribution as a published product. In light of a series of formal phases of book development, four categories of pre-release readers could be identified, with each aligned to a phase of development. In keeping with a nomenclature that originated in the development of computer hardware in the 1950s—which has been used in software development since at least the 1960s—the phases pre-alpha, alpha, beta, and gamma are used. The terms alpha, beta, and gamma are the first three letters of the Greek alphabet. In certain writing communities, the terms alpha reader and beta reader are widely used, yet pre-alpha readers and gamma readers are included in this article in order to have terms for a more well-rounded acknowledgement of the writing process. Pre-Alpha Reader pre-alpha reader (noun) – pre al·pha read·er – \(ˌ)prē-ˈal-fəˈrē-dər\ : a person who reads an unedited draft of a book, magazine, newspaper, etc. As with software development, the work in the book development process that occurs prior to proof-reading and first-pass editing by the author can be described as pre-alpha activities. These activities could include: # Concept Inception # Rough Outline Development # Detailed Outlining and Planning # Writing First Draft # Pre-Alpha Reading # First-Pass Self-Editing Each author could choose a development methodology that differs from this example. However, in order to differentiate an pre-alpha from an alpha reader, the possible development sequence listed above is used. Suppose that an author has written their first draft, yet has not yet edited this draft. If the author were comfortable, there could be several reasons that might motivate them to allow another person (or people) to read their rough draft. For example, another member of a writing group could ask the author to read the author's most recently crafted scene or chapter, "hot off the pen," before the author has proofread or edited the portion of the book in question. The person reading an unedited draft of a written work is a pre-alpha reader. Common examples of people acting as pre-alpha readers are friends, family, coresidents, coworkers, and writing group colleagues. Alpha Reader alpha reader (noun) – al·pha read·er – \ˈal-fəˈrē-dər\ : a person in the author's organization who reads an edited draft of a book, magazine, newspaper, etc. Assuming that the pre-release phase of book development ends with at least one pass of authorial self-editing, the alpha stage follows such self-editing. As with alpha phase development of software, including alpha testing of software, an author of nonfiction or fiction poetry or prose could choose to employ zero, one, or more iterations of alpha stage development. What distinguishes an alpha phase from a beta phase is the professional writerly relationship of the reader with the people who are assisting them in their book development. During the alpha phase, the author employs (gratis, for barter or trade, or for agreed-upon fees) the assistance of artists, readers, and other people who work for the same organization. During the beta phase, the author's collaborators are external to the author's organization, and are chosen from a field of potential customers. Thus, an alpha reader works in the same organization as the author, while a beta reader does not. The following is a quote of the Wikipedia article of the term alpha reader: "An alpha reader or beta reader (also spelled alphareader / betareader, or shortened to alpha / beta), also pre-reader or critiquer, is a non-professional reader who reads a written work, generally fiction, with the intent of looking over the material to find and improve elements such as grammar and spelling, as well as suggestions to improve the story, its characters, or its setting. Beta reading is typically done before the story is released for public consumption.1 Beta readers are not explicitly proofreaders or editors, but can serve in that context. Elements highlighted by beta readers encompass things such as plot holes, problems with continuity, characterisation or believability; in fiction and non-fiction, the beta might also assist the author with fact-checking2" ("Alpha reader", Wikipedia). Beta Reader beta reader (noun) – be·ta read·er – \ˈbā-tə ˈrē-dər, chiefly British ˈbē-tə ˈrē-dər\ : a person outside the author's organization (customarily an existing or potential customer) who reads an edited draft of a book, magazine, newspaper, etc.As with beta phase development of software, including beta testing of software, an author of nonfiction or fiction poetry or prose could choose to employ zero, one, or more iterations of beta stage development. Again, the key distinction between alpha and beta development is that alpha collaborators work for the author's organization, while beta collaborators work outside the author's organization. Mostly commonly, beta readers are existing customers who have read the author's previous works, or beta readers could be potenial customers of the genre of the current work in question. Gamma Reader The phrase gamma reader is not commonly used. Simple use of the term reader is far more prevalent, as a gamma reader is any reader who reads a published form of the work. Book Life-cycle The terms alpha and beta have been used in a similar sense in other industries since the 1950s. Here is an analogy. Think of any application (app) that you use on your computer, tablet, phone, glasses, watch, amulet, ring, or earring. Like a book or a film, the software goes through development and production. In the software engineering industry, though there are variations in development methodologies, there is a well-defined discipline of the sequencing of development and and production in the software life cycle. References # Karen Hellekson, Kristina Busse (2006). Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet: New Essays. McFarland. pp. 15, 43, 172–179. ISBN 0786454962. # Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. NYU Press. p. 180. ISBN 0814743072.